Realization
by Melchy
Summary: Lee and Jamie have a man-to-man talk


Title: Realization 

Summary: Jamie and Lee have a man-to-man talk. 

Rating: G 

Archive: Ask first except for Katrina. 

Remarks: Of course I like reading reviews! 

Time: Six months after the wedding, no one knows they are married, but most suspect. 

Many, many thanks to Robin and Becky. Thanks guys for reading this a "million" times and helping me get it just right. You are a great team. I could not have done with out you. And a special thank you to Robin who would not let me give up on it. Also thanks Robin for coming up with a great reason to be watching pro-football in the middle of the day. 

This story is based on the characters from Scarecrow and Mrs. King and are the property of Warner Bros. and Shoot the Moon Productions. No enfringment it intended and no profit will be made from this story. All other characters are a product of the author's imagination and belong to her. 

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK 

Lee was not doing a good job of convincing himself that he enjoyed doing paperwork. The sun shone through the Q-Bureau window where it met the paperweight on Amanda's desk, causing a rainbow to splash across the floor. 

He could almost feel the wind that was gently ruffling the tree tops outside. He remembered from his quick trip down to Nedlinger's for his take-out lunch that it was a crisp fall day. Much more of a day made for walking in the park than trying to make sense of his expense account. 

He laid down his ball point and turned the swivel chair to get a better look outside the window. He could imagine himself and Amanda walking through the park, shuffling through the colorful leaves, talking about those everyday, normal things he was beginning to enjoy. 

They could discuss something he knew was bothering his wife--her children. Jamie, who had been taking piano lessons for about five years and was quite good, refused to play in the recital that was coming up on Saturday. Lee knew Amanda was disappointed and was still trying to encourage him to go. Adding to the problem was the fact that Philip had a football game on the same day, and he was on the starting lineup. They were very proud. If only the football game and the recital would not be starting at the same time. 

Or maybe they could talk about the house he saw yesterday. He had not had the time to tell Amanda, yet, but he knew it was the one. He wanted to tell her all about it, and show it to her when they had a free moment. He knew they would have to reveal their marriage first, before showing the family. But it would be a great house to soften the blow with. 

He sighed, turning back to his desk and his explanation of why it was entirely necessary that he had purchased Italian leather boots, a box of pop-cicles , and Elmer's glue for the ambassador of -- what was that country again? And, oh yes, the chicken. Oh, please, just let that whole nightmare go away. He cringed at the thought of the "chickencicle " incident. What a hard time Francine and the others had given him about it. 

Lee looked over at the empty desk across from him. Amanda was not in the Q-Bureau today; she was working out in the field with Francine. Lee had tried not to fuss about it. Billy was right; she might not always be working with him and needed the additional experience. 

The phone rang, cutting into his thoughts. Forcefully tossing the pen on the desk, he grabbed the receiver. "Stetson," he snapped. 

"Is Mrs. King there, please?" a man's voice asked. 

Lee bristled at the name Mrs. King He yearned for her to be called Mrs. Stetson, and who was this man calling her? He had heard that jealous was healthy, and if that were true, he was the healthiest man alive. 

"I'm sorry, Mrs. King isn't in. Can I take a message?" 

"This is Mr. Gallagher, the vice-principal at Arlington Middle School. Her son, James, is not feeling well, and I think it would be best if she came and took him home. " 

Lee's breath left him in a gale of frustration. What was he going to do? Amanda would be gone all day. He might be able to get a hold of her, but it would take a couple of hours. 

Apparently arriving at his own conclusions from Lee's silence, Mr. Gallagher continued. "If she's not able to come, he can stay in the nurse's station. I will not allow him to go back to class." 

Lee could just picture Jamie waiting in the school nurse's cramped office instead of being asleep in a bed, where he needed to be. Taking a deep breath, he made his decision. "All right, I'll be there in about half an hour." 

"Does he know who you are?" The voice at the other end sounded relieved. Lee suspected that the nurse did not like the idea of waiting with a sick student all day any more than the student did. 

"Yes, tell him that, Lee is coming to get him," he answered, standing up and rolling his sleeves backdown. 

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK 

Mr. Gallagher turned towards Jamie, trying not to get too close. Known as "Mr. Lysol" around school for his annoying habit of spraying doorknobs constantly with the foul-smelling spray. It was a well-known fact that he washed his hands at least twenty times a day and always brought his own utensils to work. 

"Someone named Lee is coming to get you," he informed Jamie, and left the room, opening the knob with his handkerchief. Before Jamie could count to three, he heard the spray of the can outside the door. Jamie sat in the chair, shivering. His stomach felt queasy, and his head really hurt. He had felt bad that morning, but had not told anyone. Since Mom and Grandma were always so busy these days, he had not wanted to bother them. Especially Mom. She was always at work, or with Lee, so he never saw her anymore. The last person he wanted to see right now was Lee. 

He had never had trouble with his mom dating. But this one was different. Lee was always there now. Seeing his mom with Lee made it clear to Jamie that his dad would never be back. Not that he ever really thought his dad would come back. Right after he had left for the last time, Jamie asked his mom if it would always be just the three of them. She had picked him up, and hugged him. And gave him a warm smile that made him feel safe. "I don't know, Sweetheart. But you must remember that no matter what, us three will always be together." 

He did not really think Lee would put a wedge in their family, but he would change it, and Jamie was not big on change. He liked things the way they were. It was perfect the way it was. 

"Jamie?" He looked up to see Lee standing in the doorway of the small room. 

"Hi, Mr. Stetson, you didn't have to come." 

"No, but I wanted to. School is the last place I ever wanted to be when I was sick. Actually it was the last place I ever wanted to be." Lee laughed but knew he was losing this battle all ready. Jamie was starting to tolerate him. He did not want to ruin the progress all ready made. 

"Well, let's go." Lee picked up Jamie's things, noticing the boy did not try to stop him. The poor kid looked green, and his eyes was feverish. What was he supposed to do with a sick kid? What did anyone do with a sick kid? He had left a message for Amanda, but the unenthusiastic person at the message desk had not been helpful. She might not get the message for hours. 

They drove to Lee's apartment in silence, which continued once they got there. Lee threw Jamie's things down in a corner. 'Now what do I do'? he inquired of the backpack that had a great design of a motorcycle on it. 

Jamie sank down on the couch. Taking off his glasses, he laid them on the coffee table and rubbed his eyes. Lee suspected the boy might be crying and wished he could think of a way to comfort him. If only Amanda were here, she would know what to do. Lee took off his jacket and threw it down on the vestibule table, rolling up his shirt sleeves once again. He remembered that when he was sick, his favorite thing was to lie on the couch with a big glass of 7-Up and some graham crackers. He would sip the drink and let the bubbling sensation roll down his throat, and for a few minutes it would feel so good. He was pretty sure he did not have any thing like that in the house. And soup. He always loved steaming chicken soup when his stomach was upset. He could almost feel the warm soup easing down into his stomach, making him feel stronger and in a strange way, secure. 

Removing his tie, he picked up his keys once more and walked toward Jamie. 

"Jamie?" 

"Yes, sir?" his voice was getting raspier. 

"I'm going to go out for a while and pick up some things up for you. I don't have any Sprite or anything, but maybe a club soda? The bubbles should make your stomach feel better. 

Lee walked over to the bar and poured his stepson a glass of the effervescent liquid and handed it to the boy. "Ah, Jamie, uh the bedroom might be more comfortable for you, and the TV is in there. If you want to lie down on the bed and get some rest, you might feel better. Is there anything I can get you while I'm out?" 

Jamie got off the couch and slowly strolled towards the bedroom, obviously too sick to care about anything at this point. "I'm fine, Mr. Stetson. Whatever." 

"All right, then." Lee sighed, swinging his arms back and forth in front of his chest. Why had he ever thought he could help Jaime? It must have been an impulsive move for the stepfather of the year award. Jamie did not seem to want to meet him halfway. 

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK 

Navigating the aisles of the grocery store, Lee felt like a stranger in a strange land. Oh, he went to the grocery store every once in awhile, but he was not much of a shopper. Amanda liked to tease him about not having any food at his place, and usually this was true. 

"Can I help you, sir?" a young clerk asked. 

"I must look lost," Lee chuckled. "Can you tell me where the soup is?" 

"Aisle five." The young blonde pointed towards the back of the store. Lee wondered when they had started hiring twelve year olds to stock store shelves, since these kids got younger looking all the time. 

She pulled a cart out from the line she had been retrieving from the back of the store. "Will you need a cart?" 

"Sure, why not?" He took the cart from the girl, thanked her, and headed for aisle five. 

After almost an hour of debating, he decided on a can of chicken noodle, cream of chicken, a bottle of 7-UP and some saltines. Also, his personal favorite for when he felt lousy--a pint of sherbet and some orange tea. It was worth a shot. 

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK 

After taking the groceries home, he started heating the chicken noodle and some water for tea. While he waited for them to boil, he once again tried to call Amanda, but only reached an operator that informed him, in her most degrading tone, that Mrs. King was out for the day. 

"I know that, you idiot," Lee muttered into the phone after the operator had hung up. He took a deep, calming breath as he removed the kettle from the fire. After all, he had faced down some of the most dangerous men in the world. He could handle a sick boy. He hoped. 

Going down the hall, he opened the closet where he kept his non-work clothes and got out a pair of jeans and a Redskins tee shirt. He seldom wore tee shirts, but he loved them. It gave him the feeling of casual days with nothing to do. 

After changing his clothes, he took the bowl of soup into the bedroom. Jamie was curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed. He was hugging Lee's other pillow, but pushed it away when he saw Lee enter. 

"That's what I do with it, too," Lee volunteered as he sat down on the chair beside the bed. 

"Except when you have something else to hug," Jamie said from the folds of the blue comforter. Lee, not sure how to take the statement, ignored it. 

"I brought you some soup. It's chicken noodle. I know it's not as good as your mom's, but maybe it will do." 

Jamie sat up and took the bowl from his stepfather. "Thank you, Mr. Stetson." 

"Why don't you call me Lee?" 

"All right. Lee," the boy acquiesced, but it still sounded like he was saying Mr. Stetson 

"Here, you want some crackers with that? I'll get you some." Going out to the kitchen, he picked up a pack and also made a mug of the fragrant tea. He did not know how to handle the teenager. Why didn't Amanda call? 

Returning to the room, he handed Jamie the crackers and sat back down on the chair, still clutching the tea. "Feeling any better?" Lee asked to break the stillness of the room. 

"Not really," Jamie sighed. "Neither are the Redskins. The Cowboys are beating them bad." 

Lee turned to see the game on the screen. It was a charity event for the First Lady's "Just Say No" program. Lee doubted they would ever bother with another. The two teams had refused to play for free during prime-time and the protest from school leaders had been loud. Too many parents had taken their children out of classes for the day. Lee had seen a parent on the news last night saying that the reduced cost of the ticket was too cheap to pass on, and besides he and his son deserved a break. Employers had not been too happy, either. 

A stray thought crossed Lee's mind. "Jamie, is your grandmother home?" Why had he not thought of that sooner? She would know what to do for him, or at least be able to give Lee some advice. 

"No, she's gone with her club to Williamsburg." Taking a spoonful of the soup, he paused for a moment. "They are looking for some antiques and are sure they will find something like Thomas Jefferson owned that no one has uncovered, yet." Jamie smiled but not at Lee. 

"Well, I guess I won't call her then," Lee tried to say lightheartedly. But his heart was sinking; he really was on his own. 

Jamie put down his now empty soup bowl on the night stand and picked up a cracker, looking at it like he had never seen one before. "Mr. Stetson, why don'tyou like me?" 

The question hit Lee like a bucket of cold water. "Jamie, I like you, I like you very much. To tell you the truth, I kind of get the feeling that you don't like me." There, he had said it. What would his stepson do with it? Jamie shrugged. "I like you okay, I guess. I don't know. You aren't stupid like Dean--we could pull anything over on him, and you're aren't all wrapped up in Mom like Alan. And you don't think as highly of yourself as Jeff did. And Peter was hard to figure out." 

Lee wanted to ask who Alan, Jeff, and Peter were, but he knew this was not the time. Deciding to take the plunge, he squared his shoulders and asked "What do you think of me, Jamie?" 

"You're nice. You don't make me and Philip feel like dumb kids, but sometimes I think you wish you didn't have to deal with us." Jamie was staring at the cracker with such intensity he could have bored a hole through it. "And sometimes it seems like you go out of your way to spend time with us." 

"I see." Lee hesitated. His attention was drawn to a a coffee cup left on the bureau which had suddenly become interesting. Making himself turn his eyes to focus on Jamie, he asked him. "What can I do to fix that?" 

The sports announcer's voice on the television rose in excitement and both turned their attention to him. 

"Oh, who would believe it," the announcer was saying. "A complete upset of the Cowboys! It looks like the Redskins are back on top." 

"Yahoo!" Lee and Jamie squealed at the same time. 

"Way to go, Redskins." Looking at each other they burst out laughing. 'Ya, know," Lee began, " I really do like football, and I've heard you guys do, too. It wouldn't be going out my way to take you to a game. It would be my pleasure. "And, besides your Mom isn't crazy about football, and she asks too many darn questions and interrupts the game." 

"I know what you mean!" Jamie nodded in agreement. "Why do they kick the ball like that, and why are they dropping it here, and how many points was that again?" 

Jamie did a very good imitation of his mother. 

They both laughed so hard they had to wipe the tears from their eyes. Suddenly, out of the blue, Jamie looked straight at Lee just like Amanda often did and blurted out, "Lee, do you love my mom? 

The question took Lee by surprise. He wasn't expecting it, at least now. He did spend a lot of time with the family, but he and Amanda hardly ever showed affection or exchanged endearments in front of the boys. They didn't want to give anything away, but maybe they had been going overboard. 

"What makes you think I do?" 

"Well, you come over a lot, and you like to spend time with Mom, and like I said, you do go out of your way sometimes to spend time with me and Philip. But I guess it's because of the way you look at each other, and the way you nudge each other. I know I'm only twelve, but I'm not blind. You and Mom don't ever get all mushy or kiss in front us, but you have such an intense look between you. And she always glows when she sees you coming. I know how she feels about you by just looking at her. So, are you in love with her?" 

Lee took a sip of the now cold tea, and then realized that he had never given the cup to Jamie. How should he answer? He and Amanda had been married for six months now, and they were starting to let their guard down when they were around other people. He loved Amanda so much it was hard to hide it. 

Looking into those brown eyes that were so much like Amanda's, he knew he could not tell Jamie anything but the truth. "Jamie, I love your mother very much, more than anything. I only want what is best for her, and that includes you boys and your grandmother." 

"Well, not that I mind all that much, but I just kind of wondered why you don't like kiss and stuff, or hold hands. And you don't, you know, call on the phone and give that sickening speech like Jeff used to. 'Amanda, I miss you, I can't live with out you,' kind of thing." Jamie rolled at his eyes at the thought of such mush. "He didn't even pretend to love her." 

"I don't know." Lee shrugged. If they were dating, why would they want to hide their affection for one another from the people who needed to see it most? It was becoming clearer to Lee now. 

"It's okay to kiss her, if you have to." Jamie wrinkled his nose, in an affectionate grin. "Philip and I can shut our eyes if you get too gross. And it's okay to hold hands and even sneak away to the living room now and then." The boy shuttered at the thought of actually wanting to be alone with any girl more than was necessary. "If you love Mom, you need to go all the way with it." 

Jamie's eyes were filled with earnestness, and Lee could tell from the look on his freckled face that he was serious. "Don't be afraid to show what you feel around us. Otherwise, how will we know what it is?" 

Lee sat, stunned. Jamie had a lot of truth to what he was saying. "Jamie, I, I --". Reaching out, he hugged the boy, and then ruffled his hair, receiving mild teasing protest. 

"I'm going to get some sleep now, Lee, and by the way you look better in those clothes. The suits all the time make you look stuffy." He smiled at Lee, and it was the first time the older man remembered such a thing happening. 

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK 

Amanda opened the door to Lee's apartment three hours later to find Lee asleep on the couch and Jamie asleep on the bed. Tiptoeing quietly over to her son, she kissed his forehead and thought how cute he was. 

She noticed with relief in her smile that he did not have a fever. Going back out to the living room, she sat down beside Lee and slipped her arms around him, gently kissing him until he stirred. 

"Hey," he greeted her with a kiss. "Did you get my message?" 

"Yeah, how is he? I see he's asleep." 

"Yeah, I gave him some soup and some 7-UP, and he seems to be feeling better. Looks like it might be a stomach virus." Lee shrugged. "But he did keep his stuff down." 

She gave Lee an affectionate kiss, wiping his stray hair back from his forehead. "Thank you so much for taking care of him. You didn't have to do this, you know." 

"Yes, I did," Lee stated, sitting upright on the couch "He's part of you and that's very important to me." 

Grasping her hands firmly, he said lowly. "Amanda, you know I love you don't you?" 

"Of course. Her answer warmed his heart. 

"Why?" 

"Well, Jamie didn't, and he was concerned about it. If you are over at the house so much, and you look at each other like that all the time, then why don't you show it without looking guilty and why don't you tell people? That's what he asked me." 

"He did?" She shook her head and smiled. Raising Lee's hand to her lips she kissed it before sitting it down on her blue linen skirt. "Well, then, Lee, I think you might be one step closer to being part of the family. Welcome!" She shook his other hand, so solemnly it made Lee burst out laughing. 

"Mom, is that you?" She heard her youngest son call from the bedroom. 

Giving Lee's hand one last squeeze, she got up from the couch and walked over to the door straightening her skirt that was threatening to crawl up her legs. 

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" 

Lee walked up behind her, and she reached for her husband's hand, leading him into the bedroom. Jamie, noticing the hand holding, gave a slight smile at no one in particular before answering his mother. "I feel okay, but I don't think I can go to school tomorrow." 

"You don't think so, huh?" she teased. "Jamie, I'm sorry, I couldn't be with you. I came as soon as I heard." 

"It's okay, Mom, I was in good hands. Lee knew just what to do." 

A smile passed between Lee and Jamie, both of them realizing that they were becoming a family. 

The End!   
  



End file.
